ETERNAL JUDGMENT

FOUNDATION SERIES ON THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST (VII)

ETERNAL JUDGMENT

SCRIPTURE:

Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt Daniel 2:2

"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.' Matthew 7:22-23

 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear. Matthew 18:40-43

Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ Luke 13:25-27

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. Romans 2:5-8

OBSERVATION:

The final foundation of the doctrine of Christ mentioned in Hebrews is Eternal Judgment. How crucially importance it is for us to live life today in light of this fearsome knowledge. God has appointed a day when everyone will be brought before Him for judgment.

If this life was all there is, and we fade into nothingness after we die, we would be perfectly happy to eat, drink and be merry. However, the Bible clearly gives us a stern warning that death is not the end, and that there will be a day of judgment. At the end of the day, it does not matter what we think, or how angry we are at the way God has planned things or how He has brought various circumstances in our lives. All that matters is that we are to be judged based on what is given us, and we must give account of our lives before the living God!

Again and again, the Bible tells us of a great separation, between those who will enter God’s kingdom, and those who are thrown into the blazing furnace of eternal suffering. All of us are evil, all of us are destined for eternal death and suffering, but thanks be to God, He has given us the hope of salvation through His Son.

Our part is to respond to His great invitation of mercy, and accept His precious gift of salvation. Again, He warns us not to be deceived. This Salvation does not give us a license to go on sinning and still inherit eternal life. The Lord warns us that some will profess to have known him, to have fellowshipped with him, and even to have done miracles in His name. Yet, He would not accept them, because they still lived lives of continual sin.

To know God is to turn away from sin. There must be a constant regeneration, a turning away from sin that depicts the life in a true follower of Jesus Christ. When we turn to God, He forgives our sins, but we are to leave our lives of sin. This is an ongoing process because we still struggle with sin, but if we keep on persevering and looking to God, He gives us the grace and strength to overcome and move from glory to glory. Again, we must remember, we are saved to move away from sin. If we persistently go back to sinful ways, there is no more sacrifice of sins left. We must not give up, but keep struggling to fight against sin, to truly press on and experience, freedom not to sin.

APPLICATION

We are called to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. To follow Christ as the way of salvation is not a matter of profession but active living out the faith we have in following Him. If we believe He is real, then we must live in a way that pleases Him, otherwise, our actions prove our professions false. Sin attracts, and promises great enjoyment, but the pleasures are only temporary, very temporary, and the consequences can be eternal. Let us fix our eyes not on what is seen, which is temporary but what is unseen, which is eternal!

PRAYER

Heavenly Father God, precious Lord Jesus, we thank You and praise You for Your grace and Your warnings in Scripture which leads us to fear You and steer ourselves away from sinful living that can forfeit us our salvation. Help us put our whole trust in You, Lord, and lean on You for Your grace and power to move away from sinful living to a holy living which pleases You. Forgive us for our careless and flippant attitude to sin. Strengthen us, and give us wisdom, that we may not take sin lightly, but turn our lives more and more towards You, in light of Your eternal judgment. Help us, precious Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.